Prepared Solve Challenge (#1)

[Lucas Garron]

Prepared Speedsolve Challenge (#1)

Alright, I'm posting this to speedsolving.com, twistypuzzles.com, and speedsolvingrubikscube...
I'm not going to try to defend or justify this idea: if you like it, try it, and if not, then don't participate.

Here, I'm posting 12 scrambles for the Prepared Solve Challenge (#1, just in case anyone wants more). It's unofficial, and will run indefinitely.
You can take any of the scrambles below, and use whatever tools you want in order to solve that scramble in the shortest time possible. It's like a "one-step-stop," but doesn't need to be a normal, full solve with a regular method. You can use Cube Explorer to find an optimal solution, try FMC in many different ways, write a program to take in reams of solutions and pick a "highly finger-tricky" one, try a few different methods, write a solver for your normal method that seearches for short steps or skips... Whatever you're willing to do to solve the scramble quickly.

As for me: sometime, I will probably write a program to search for Fridrich and MGLS solutions with a cross on any face. One of them ought to have a PLL skip and nice cases.

Beautifully, this won't require any regulation. If someone says that she/he solved PSC1.5 in 6.34 seconds with a certain algorithm/solution, it counts (as long as the solve was done on that exact scramble with proper procedure -video evidence is good); "lucky" is an irrelevant concept. I would set up a site for submission of best times, but that would require annoying PHP coding...
There are still ways to cheat, but those who will be good at this, I think, are trustworthy.

So, feel free to pick any scramble, work on it, and share your solution and solving time. You get all the preparation time and attemps you want. If you want to, you can do all the scrambles and take an average, or average your bests for each. In a sense, this is an attempt to figure out the ultimate limits of speedcubing, so the more people try this, the more we see what's possible. It'll be interesting to see what times Nakajima, Harris Chan, Katsu, Macky, etc. get if they try this...


Anyhow, below are the 12 scrambles, generated by Cube Explorer (all are 19 moves or less).

Scrambles:
PSC1.1 R2 D U L2 D' B2 F2 R' B2 L F L2 R U' R F L2 R B'
PSC1.2 D' F2 U' B2 U2 L2 F2 L B U2 L U2 F D' F U2 L R' U'
PSC1.3 L2 B2 F2 U2 L R2 D' B L U2 B F L2 D' F U' F U2
PSC1.4 R2 B2 D2 B' R2 U2 F2 L' D2 F L2 R' D2 R B' U' B2 L2
PSC1.5 F2 L2 U2 F' D2 B2 U' B2 F2 L F D R2 U' B L R2 U B2
PSC1.6 F' D2 B F' L2 D U' B' U F2 U L2 U' L' D U2 R B2 U'
PSC1.7 R' F2 L' F' D' R' F2 L2 F' U' L' D2 B' D' B2 F' R'
PSC1.8 F2 U2 R2 U2 B' F' R' F' R D F2 D R D2 B' F' R2 D2
PSC1.9 B2 U2 L2 F U2 B L' U B' D F D' L2 B' U' F U' R B2
PSC1.10 B D2 F R2 D2 B L2 F' R' D' F R' B' F R2 U2 F' U' L
PSC1.11 B' R2 B F2 D2 F U' F' L D U L B F U2 B2 R D F
PSC1.12 U2 R D2 R' F2 L2 U2 F' R U' R' U' B2 L2 F R2 U B'

May the algs be with you!
-Lucas Garron


PSC1.1

1. 3.86 Stefan Pochmann [4.68]
2. 7.92 ExoCorsair
3. 8.63 Harris Chan

PSC 1.2

1. 8.18 Harris Chan
2. 8.98 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.3

1. 8.61 Harris Chan
2. 9.53 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.4

1. 3.43 Stefan Pochmann
2. 8.03 Harris Chan
3. 8.98 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.5

1. 9.28 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.6

1. 9.57 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.7

1. 6.34 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.8

1. 8.48 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.9

1. 9.81 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.10

1. 9.61 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.11

1. 10.69 ExoCorsair

PSC 1.12

1. 7.58 ExoCorsair

 

[ExoCorsair]

Just did a run with inverse algs:
7.92, 8.98, 9.53, 8.98, 9.28, 9.57, 6.34, 8.48, 9.81, 9.61, 10.69, 7.58

I'll edit this post later when I have more time to use other solutions.

 

[pjk]

Great idea. I will give it a shot when I get time.

 

[Kristoffer Absalonsen]

I will give it a try looks cool.

 

[Harris Chan]

Well..I got solution for 1, 2, 3, 4 so far...and it's sub 9 execution

 

[Stefan]

Lucas, I suggest you add a top-3 list for each scramble in your initial message above, listing the time, name, and solution. Something like:

PSC1.1
4.68 StefanPochmann x' (U l' L2 F') (R' U R') (L2 F' L' y) (R2' F) (M2 U y') (R2 U' z L' U2)
7.92 ExoCorsair Inverse scramble
...

 

[Harris Chan]

1. R2 D U L2 D' B2 F2 R' B2 L F L2 R U' R F L2 R B'
Scramble U = Cross colour
x-Cross: B R2 B2 U' R' U' r2 (7)
F2L 2: U' L' U' L (4)
F2L 3: U2 R U R' y R U' R' (7)
F2L 4: U L' U' L U L' U' L (8)
OLL: F U R U' R' F' (6)
PLL: R' U' R U' R U R U' R' U R U R2 U' R' U2 (16)
Total moves: 48
Time: 8.63

2. D' F2 U' B2 U2 L2 F2 L B U2 L U2 F D' F U2 L R' U'
SCramble with D= Cross Colour
X Cross: y' U'w F'U R'U' D' L' U L U' L2 (11)
F2L 2: Dw R' U' R (4)
F2L 3+4: y' R U R' U' R U R' L' U' R U (11)
OLL: x' R U R' U R U2 R' U Rw R' (10)
PLL: U'Lw U' R D2 R' U R D2 R2 (10)

Total Moves: 45 moves
Time: 8.18

3. F2 L2 U2 F' D2 B2 U' B2 F2 L F D R2 U' B L R2 U B2
Scramble with D=Cross colour
X-Cross: R' U' L B2 R' F' D (7)
F2L 2: U L' U' L U' L' U L (8)
F2L 3: R U' R' U' R' U' R (7)
F2L 4: U R' F R' F' R U' R' (8)
OLL: r' R2 U R' U R U2' R' U r R' (11)
PLL: R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2 U (12)

Total Moves: 53
Time: 8.61

4. R2 B2 D2 B' R2 U2 F2 L' D2 F L2 R' D2 R B' U' B2 L2
SCramble with D =cross colour
Cross: U' L' R F R B' (6)
F2L 1: y' R2 U R2 U' R2 (5)
F2L 2+3: Dw R U L'R' U' L (7)
F2: 4+OLL: U2 y R2 U R' F' U' F U R U2 R2 (11)
PLL: U y R2 U R U R' U' R' U' R' U R' (12)

Total moves: 41
Time: 8.03

 

[Lucas Garron]

Okay, I added a list. For now, I'm linking to the posted time. This should really go on a website, and if it gains any good popularity I'll spend an hour coding a PHP page for time submissions (listing time, name, solution, etc.).

And don't worry, I will participate in this someday.

 

[Stefan]

Harris, are those normal solves of you, just repeated to get faster? Or did you spend some time to find short solutions?

 

[Stefan]

PSC1.1 - 3.86 seconds

Part of this 4.81 average: 04.55, 05.91, 04.64, 04.66, (03.86), 04.85, (10.40), 04.26, 04.54, 04.72, 06.08, 03.91

 

[Stefan]

PSC1.4 - 3.43 seconds

Part of this 4.27 average: 04.55, 04.40, 05.69, 04.04, (03.43), 03.91, 03.44, (06.04), 04.22, 04.07, 04.41, 04.01

 

[Harris Chan]

Harris, are those normal solves of you, just repeated to get faster? Or did you spend some time to find short solutions?

I spend some time to find short solutions, especially doing opposite cross, which I usually don't do that in normal speedsolves

 

[Stefan]

Bah, you got a wrong time for my PSC1.1 and my PSC1.4 isn't even in your list.

Here's an alternative to the PSC1.4 scramble:
L D' R D' F R' F' L R' B F' D' U' L U L' R U' F'

It's only 19 quarter turns, that's the shortest of all twelve scrambles. I found it with Herbert Kociemba's new solver. Later I ran it again and there are three more algs of the same length but I don't have them here right now.

Here's my solution for the 3.43 seconds solve:
z x (U l D') (U R' U' R) (r u') (U R) (L' U R U') (F x R' U L')

I push the last F with my left index finger. I believe this solution can be executed sub-3, or sub-2 if you're Hungarian.

 

[Harris Chan]

I believe this solution can be executed sub-3, or sub-2 if you're Hungarian.

And sub 1 if you're Japanese

 

[skinnyandweak]

harris.. you seriously need to post a video/a long paragraph describing how to cube like you. 3 cubes sub 35!? 6.xx f2l average!? i need to learn your ways.

 

[Stefan]

I believe this solution can be executed sub-3, or sub-2 if you're Hungarian.

And sub 1 if you're Japanese

Nah... the reason I said that was this.

 

[AvGalen]

I believe this solution can be executed sub-3, or sub-2 if you're Hungarian.

And sub 1 if you're Japanese

Nah... the reason I said that was this.

I think you need to study the information behind that link a bit more carefull Stefan. Not only do you need to be Hungarian, you also need to be in Sweden